MORAVIAN GEOGRAPHICAL REPORTS - Institute of Geonics ...

MoraVian geographical reports 4/2010, Vol. 18
July 1954. The abundance of great floods at the
end of the 19 th century is also evidenced by the fact
that there were altogether seven high water events
in 1876 – 1900 (within only 25 years!), which exceeded
the above-mentioned discharge value. The fact is
considered remarkable because the number of these
floods in the whole following 20 th century was lower
– “only” six.
3. Flood in November 1890
Not even three months later, in November 1890, other
extreme floods occurred in Central Europe, which
largely affected a vast area between the Elbe and
the Rhine Rivers in Germany and western Bohemia,
namely the Ohře/Eger River basin. The floods were
caused by three-day abundant rains lasting from 22 –
24 th November 1890 (Hellmann, 1891; Weikinn, 2008).
In Germany, the floods affected mainly the watersheds
of left-bank tributaries of the Elbe River (Saale R. etc.),
headwaters of Weser R. (Fulda R. and Werra R.) and
right-bank tributaries of the lower and middle Rhine
R. (Wupper R., Ruhr R and other watercourses). The
precipitation area of 23 rd November 1890 is presented
in Fig. 5.
The disastrous rains were caused by the atmospheric
low above Central Europe. So classifies the days
of 23 – 25 th November 1890 the Hess-Brezowsky
catalogue of synoptic situations (Gerstengarbe et
al., 1999). The location of the barometric depression
on 24 th November 1890 is illustrated on the
reconstructed surface chart (Fig. 6).
24
In Germany, on the divide of the Saale R. and the
Werra R. watersheds, 3-day precipitation amounts
(22 – 24 th November 1890) exceeded 125 mm. The
highest daily totals were recorded on 23 rd November
– e.g. the Schmücke station recorded nearly 140 mm
on that day and the Oberhof station recorded an
amount lower by only 10 mm. Flood response to the
causal precipitation on the Saale R. in four profiles is
illustrated as a course of gauge heights in Fig. 7.
This extreme historic flood incurred damages and
casualties for instance in Rhineland; only in the town
of Wuppertal the high water on the Wupper River
claimed five human lives. Considerably afflicted was
also Thuringia where the flood on the Saale River was
documented in details only recently (Deutsch, 2004;
Deutsch, Pörtge, 2003). Up to now this natural disaster
has been reminded here not only by flood marks
(Figs. 8, 9), but also e.g. by wall painting in village
church in Oelknitz (Fig. 10).
Abundant precipitation and floods at the end of
November 1890 affected also western Bohemia, namely
the basin of the Ohře/Eger River whose right-bank
tributary Teplá/Tepl R. flowing through Karlovy Vary/
Carlsbad (Fig. 5) became swollen. The world-known
spa town suffered a great destruction due to the flood
on the Teplá/Tepl River.
Total precipitation amounts in this region were not
as high as in Germany from 22 – 24 th November 1890.
The highest daily precipitation amounts recorded at
the Hůrka and Pila stations in the Teplá/Tepl R. basin
on 23 rd November were 85 mm and 77 mm, respectively.
Fig. 5: A period map (supplemented by authors) depicting precipitation amounts (in mm) in Germany and Bohemia
from 23 rd November 1890. Whereas in Germany an extensive area between the Elbe/Labe R. and the Rhine R. was
affected, in Bohemia mainly the Ohře/Eger R. basin was affected. The flood that occurred on the Teplá/Tepl R. (a right
tributary of the Eger R.) devastated the well-known spa town of Karlovy Vary/Carlsbad. (Source: Das Hochwasser in
Karlsbad vom 24 th November 1890, Karlsbad 1893)